In the end, though, for the now below-average cost of 800 Microsoft Points there is enough to love about Scott Pilgrim vs. the World to make it a worthy addition to your XBLA collection.

I cannot recommend more than renting Mafia II unless you have a particularly strong affection for the subject material. Mafia II is not broken nor does do any one thing particularly badly; the overall experience is just a real disappointment and I would rather swim with the fishes than play it again.

A triumph for independent game development, which manages to transcend all that came before it without having to re-write the genre.

Crackdown 2 still feels rough and unfinished. In fact, it feels even more so than the first, especially when viewed as a single player experience.

Singularity won't win any end of year accolades, nor does it re-write the book on how shooters should be made; but it does stand up and is noticed in the winter period we often expect very little from in our industry of game.

War for Cybertron is a fairly basic corridor third-person shooter than draws comparisons to the Gears of War games; though, it lacks a cover system, which I found to be unfortunate as it feels the game could have benefited from one.

Alpha Protocol does many things right and succeeds where it count for an RPG but falls short elsewhere.

The fun of Blur is unparalleled in any other recent driving game. It could have been simply Mario Kart in real looking cars, but Bizarre Creations have looked hard at what is fun about racing games, what is fun about competitive play, what is fun about online gaming, and worked out how to get all of that in one game and more importantly, get it to work well and remain fun.

Superior storytelling, audio and graphics all come together to create one of the most enjoyable games in years.

The game creates an excellent and believable sense of ‘reality', as much as a video game horror story can. You'll suspend your disbelief for the most part, and there are some very cool and spooky moments early in the game that will really put you on edge.

If arcade racers are your bag, I can highly recommend Split/Second and with its split-screen multiplayer it would be a great one to keep the kids entertained. Longevity will vary based on your personal tastes and attention span but Split/Second will be a blast while it lasts.

Skate 3 sadly fails to take the leaps and bounds that Skate 2 made; it's not as progressive or original. However, it is still the undisputed king of skateboarding games, and if you're new to the franchise, you'd do well to pick it up.

By adjusting the control scheme and difficulty to suit your skill and experience FIFA World Cup South Africa is capable of simulating an extremely realistic and entertaining game of soccer.

Splinter Cell Conviction deviates from the original series in quite a substantial way, but keeps its soul is intact.

In my opinion all the games shortcomings are well and truly made up for by what the game does right. The world of Metro 2033 is painstakingly constructed with design elements skilfully integrated with the gameplay.

The single player campaign is action packed and – yes we admit it – could still be improved upon but it is better than BC1 and worthy of repeated play-throughs. The multiplayer is absolutely phenomenal and the ‘Battlefield moments' you experience in almost every online game make Bad Company 2 an extremely fun multiplayer game that would give the competition a big double shotgun blast to the face – if it supported akimbo weapons – which thankfully, it does not.

And with story aside, BioShock 2 improves on the original in every way. It's a far more solid experience that is a blast to play from start to thrilling conclusion.

Dante's Inferno could have offered more. It's heavily influenced by God Of War, but never seeks to do anything to differentiate itself from its influence beyond a superficial weapon development tree that has ultimately no impact on the game or the story.

The story does waver when it matters most, and the planet-scanning and other hacking mini-games are quite the bore, but aside from that Mass Effect 2 is a game that doesn't seem to put a foot wrong. Riveting use of characters and your involvement in their stories really make this one you can't miss.

It's not a perfect game, the 360 version has rather bad vertical sync issues and the controls take some time to master. However, the game's engaging gameplay and addictive exploratory momentum more than make up for its few failings.

Playing Assassin's Creed II, one can't help but think Ubisoft really did listen to the criticism of the last game. Everything has been expanded upon and improved.

Modern Warfare 2 is undoubtedly the single biggest release this year; not only in gaming but in entertainment, period. It delivers in a lot of areas; it has a campaign marinated in grandeur (even if it is to short) and a deep, engaging multiplayer facet (even if it is littered with connectivity issues).

It takes itself seriously, but presents a much more laid back sensibility to the player, giving them a chance to have a bit of fun in between the gritty reality of gangsters and money.

This is not a game, it is just a bunch of barely interactive episodes of the show and as such, is only suitable for die hard fans and people in need of a quick gamerscore boost. Everyone else should steer well clear as there is precious little fun to be had here and the whole thing soon gets mindlessly repetitive.

The art style is great, the co-op is a blast, and while it's far from perfect, Pandora is a planet well worth exploring Borderlands is a fun – if not a tad simplistic – shooter that will appeal to the gear junkies and RPG heads as much as it will FPS fans.

However, if you want to play soccer, want to cross, pass tackle, slide and score against the computer or against a real life person, then you're not going to get better than FIFA 10.

If you don't like heavy metal music or Jack Black's humour, chances are this one isn't for you. But if you do, then Brutal Legend will be like you've died and gone to the hallowed halls of Valhalla while a dude with long hair plays a power-solo and a valkyrie in a chain-mail bikini slays a dragon with an axe.

When ODST impresses, such as during moments when massive things go boom in the distance, it certainly gives your heart a bit of a jump, but then it yanks all hope of an epic experience away and quickly returns to the rut of re-used assets and recycled gameplay ideas.